


Friday Night Pizza Delivery

by Jude81



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Lots of pizza, Masturbation, Pizza, Small trigger warning for men being jerks and grabbing Lexa, They are Awkward, probably too much pizza, they are useless gays & bis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-03-11 09:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13521162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jude81/pseuds/Jude81
Summary: Lexa delivers pizzas on Friday nights while putting herself though college. Everyone flirts with her, but she is only interested in the blonde who orders the same pizza every Friday night. Unbeknownst to Lexa, Clarke is only ordering the pizza so she can see Lexa and hopefully work up the courage to ask her out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sheisme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheisme/gifts).



> This story is based off of a tumblr post that included a video of ADC dancing (while wearing a red cap and red sweatshirt) in the background of her friend's IG story. 
> 
> Sheisme (go check out their stories) asked if anyone had done a pizza delivery prompt yet based on that video. Not sure if anyone else has, but here you are. 
> 
> This is 2-3 chapters, and it almost complete. Second part will be up in a few days. I'm already planning the sequel, which will be rated E, which does not stand for Everyone. ;)

Clarke sighed for the umpteenth time and tossed the magazine aside, watching with growing annoyance as it hit the coffee table and then skittered off to fall haphazardly onto the plush rug. She leaned her head back on the couch, tears stinging her eyes. It was one of those days when she missed her father’s presence even more than usual. His death, four years earlier, had left a gaping hole in her life, that she had never really been able to fill. The pain had eventually settled into a dull ache between her ribs, but some days it flared more than others, and today was such a day.

She pushed herself to the front of the couch and grabbed the remote off the coffee table, aimlessly surfing through the channels, the scowl deepening on her face with each passing moment. Nothing interested her, and she tossed it aside, ignoring the way the remote clattered sharply on the table, the battery hatch springing open, and sending the two batteries rolling across the table.

“Fuck,” she muttered as she heaved herself off the couch, stumbling over her shoes, kicking one in anger and growling under her breath when it disappeared under a chair. It was silly, her anger growing with each passing moment, and yet the anger was better than the tears, better than acknowledging the growing ache between her ribs, how the cold was slowly spreading along her ribs, turning her bones to frost and ice.

She shook her head in rueful amusement at herself, before walking into the kitchen, trailing her fingers along the countertop, stopping to straighten a pile of papers, her fingers hesitating on her cell phone. She picked it up and stared at the two missed calls from her mother. She knew she should call her back, but she just didn’t have the heart to listen to her tonight from half-way across the world.

Since her father’s death, and once Clarke had entered college, her mother had given up her prestigious job as the head of the ER, and instead devoted most of her time to Doctors Without Borders. She had been in Somalia the past three months, and despite the long hours she spent in the refugee camps, she’d remembered what today was and called her only child.

She dialed the number, praying her mother wouldn’t pick up, and she smiled when the gods apparently finally took pity on her, and she got her mother’s voice mail.

“Hi Mom, sorry I didn’t pick up earlier. Was in class.” It was a lie. She’d skipped classes today, she always did on this day, and if she was being honest, she figured her mother probably knew that. Not much escaped Abby’s notice, and Clarke appreciated the fact that her mother allowed her this lie.

“I’m sorry I missed you.” Another lie. She winced. “I hope things are going well for you.” She laughed, but it sounded more wet than joyful. “I supposed that is a dumb thing to say, nothing goes well in refugee camps, but you know what I mean.” And she knew that Abby would know what she meant. Clarke might have been closer to her father, but Abby had also understood her, in ways that Clarke hadn’t really appreciated until after her father died.

She sighed, deciding to be honest. “I miss him, Mom,” her voice cracked on the last word, and she blinked rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall. “Do you remember how we would always bake him a cake on his birthday? And he would always act so surprised and pleased,” she laughed this time, “even when we messed up the cake? Neither of us were very good at baking, but we tried.” She felt the first tears roll down her face. “And that was all that mattered to him,” she whispered.

She said nothing more, letting the silence say everything she couldn’t. “I have to go. I love you.” She swiped off on her cell phone and laid it on the counter. She let the tears drip down her face for a few moments, before straightening and wiping the tears away.

“Enough. He wouldn’t want you crying today. Not on his birthday.”

***************************

Across town, Lexa pulled her red cap on her head, carefully pushing her hair back behind her ears. She pulled on the red sweatshirt with the name of the local pizza place on it. She was ready for another exciting night of pizza delivery. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her keys and purse before stepping out of her dorm room and locking the door behind her.

She supposed she shouldn’t roll her eyes about it but be happy that she had the job to help pay for school. Gustus and Ryder did their best to help with her tuition, but she hated taking money from them, insisting that they spend the money on her younger siblings that were still in the home. Aden needed braces, and Charlotte’s birthday was in a week. Her social worker, Indra, had convinced them to take in a three-month-old baby recently, and diapers were expensive. Not that Ryder and Gustus needed convincing nor were worried about the money. They loved children and had decided years ago to open their home to children who needed a family to love them.

She’d been a skinny eleven-year-old when she’d arrived in their home, all long limbs and big eyes, and no voice. It was three days before she spoke her first word in that house, and it had been fourteen-year old Anya who had managed to get her to speak, to draw her out of her shell. They’d formed an unlikely bond. Anya was tough and loud, prone to solving disputes with her fists rather than her words, although she staunchly claimed that she only beat up those deserving of it, and none were more deserving than those who foolishly picked on her siblings.

And it was Anya who had taught her to defend herself against the bullies who plagued her those first two years. Anya, who took Lexa under her wing, affectionately nicknaming her Little Bird. And ten years later, she still called Lexa Little Bird. But Anya was now a Detective on the Polis police force, quickly earning the respect of her colleagues and community. She’d found her niche, helping those who couldn’t help themselves, protecting the community where she lived.

It was probably one of the reasons, Lexa was pursuing social work. She knew first hand what it meant to be in the system, to pack all of her belongings into a trash bag and move from house to house, never sure of what or who awaited her. She owed much to Indra, who had worked tirelessly to place her in a family that she could call her own, a forever family, and she’d succeeded with Gustus, Ryder, and Anya.

She smiled as she thought of her family, as she unlocked her card door and slid into the seat. It was Friday night, always a big pizza night, and she hoped she would get a lot of tips so she could buy Charlotte the American Doll that she wanted. She was still $45 shy of the $110. It was extravagant, she knew, but Charlotte never asked for anything, but she’d seen the way the nine-year-old had stared longingly at the dolls in the catalog, one doll in particular.

She hummed quietly as she backed her car out of her parking space and drove the short distance to the local pizza place. She was still humming when she stepped into the back room, nodding at Harper and Jasper who were arguing over the best Overwatch characters.

She walked into the kitchen, making sure to clock in before gathering her orders from Murphy. He was rather surly and sarcastic, but he made the best pizza in the area, and the nights he and Lexa worked together always resulted in the best night’s sales of the week.

 “Hey, Woods, busy night.”

She turned and nodded to the manager, Bellamy. He was a good guy, although it had taken them a few weeks to get used to each other. She supposed it helped that he sometimes dated her roommate, Raven, a situation that made no sense to Lexa, but seemed to work for them.

“It usually is on Fridays,” she shrugged as she straightened her cap and picked up the bags with her first pizzas.

Bellamy chuckled and leaned against the counter, “It’s busy because they know you are delivering tonight, and Murphy is making the pizza.” She blushed but didn’t deny it.

She knew one of the reasons she was so popular as a pizza delivery girl was because of her looks. She’d never really thought much about how she looked, but everyone around her took notice. And she always received the most tips, and she was sure to make more if she flirted a little with the customer. It wasn’t something she did all the time, but she knew she would need to pull out all the stops tonight if she wanted to get the rest of the money tonight for the doll and have money for groceries next week.

She could eat in the cafeteria but having a handful of food allergies including eggs and nuts made it a little harder to find food that wouldn’t make her sick. So she relied on her hot plate in her dorm room and buying a lot of fresh fruit and veggies.

She grabbed the first stack and nodded to Bellamy when he grabbed the second stack, and they took them to her car.

“Don’t forget to turn on the charm, and you’ll get the big tips.” She rolled her eyes at him before waving and driving off to her first delivery of the night.

**************************

Clarke growled in frustration as she slammed the beaters back into the bowl. She wiped the errant tear off her cheek, leaving behind a wet smear of flour. How had she managed to screw the cake up so much?

She scrolled through her recipe on her phone again, wincing as she acknowledged that the three-layer chocolate mousse cake had really been too ambitious of a project for her. She sighed in defeat, her shoulders slumping.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered as she picked up her cell phone, closing the recipe on her internet browser. She surveyed the damage, wincing at the spilled flour on the counter and floor, the melted chocolate hardening on the cabinets above the granite counter top. She’d set the beater on too high, and the results were splashed on the cherry cupboards and counter. There were empty egg shells on the counter, various measuring spoons and cups, too many bowls filled with one mistake after another.

She groaned at the thought of the cleanup. She would deal with it tomorrow. It was already nine, and she hadn’t eaten at all. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but she really didn’t need the headache that was sure to blossom overnight if she didn’t eat.

She shuffled into the living room, plopping down into the large leather arm chair. It was her favorite piece of furniture in the room, perfect for curling up with a book and a mug of tea. It was really the only piece of furniture she’d actually picked out; her mother had hired someone to outfit and decorate the two-bedroom apartment for her daughter off campus for her junior and senior years. It was really more than she needed, but the second bedroom came in handy when her friends needed a place to crash after a night of too much drinking, or a fight with a lover. She didn’t even want to think about what it had cost. But money had never really been an issue. Her mother was a highly successful surgeon, and her father had owned his own engineering company that specialized in rocketry and  space travel.

She stared at the pile of textbooks on the small table next to the chair. All were advanced engineering textbooks, and she would graduate in nine months and go to work in her father’s company. It had been her dream since she was a child, to help build the company and the components for the rockets that would send humanity into space. She really needed to study this week, but first…she grabbed her phone, scrolling through the local eateries. It was a popular college town, with dozens of eateries, and she still had yet to try them all.

She chose the local pizza place that she’d heard was good but hadn’t tried until now. She wasn’t much of a pizza person, but her dad had loved pizza. She might not have been able to make him a cake tonight, but the least she could do was order his favorite pizza and have a slice in his honor.

She placed her order and waited.

*************************

Lexa smiled at the group of fraternity brothers, trying not to be too encouraging, but also knowing that a few smiles would get her a bigger tip. It wasn’t the first time she’d delivered pizzas here, and they usually tipped her well, but it always left her a little uncomfortable at the way some of them openly leered at her. And she knew she was bound to get more than one sly proposition. She always managed to deflect their innuendos and laugh at the right moment, but she really just wanted to get her money and get out.

She sighed with relief once the door was finally closed behind her, and she walked as quickly as she could to her car. Once inside, she breathed another sigh of relief and carefully counted the money. She smiled when she realized they’d left her a 25% tip. She was averaging 20% tonight, probably at least 5% more than any of the other delivery people.

She pulled up her next order, frowning at the address. It was a new address, not one of her regulars, and a little bit further outside of campus. She hated going to new addresses, never knowing what awaited her on the other side of the door. But thankfully, Anya had prepared her for just about any kind of attack, and besides, she had her pepper spray, which she’d only ever had to use once.

She punched the address into her maps app, realizing that the it was about a six-minute drive from where she was. It didn’t take long to reach the address, the roads mostly clear of traffic since it was a residential area, an affluent one at that, if the size of the houses and trees lining the street was any indication.

She parked in the driveway next to the BMW, careful to park far enough away that her door wouldn’t touch the other car. She double-checked the address and then pulled out the correct pizza. She balanced the pizza on one hand, her other hand wrapping around the small pepper spray can in her pocket. She rang the doorbell, before slipping her hand back into her pocket.

It was a moment before she heard someone at the door, and when the door opened, she blinked in surprise. She’d assumed that the person who would answer the door would be older, not a girl her own age. She smiled awkwardly and raised the pizza.

“Uh…pizza delivery.”

Clarke stared at the girl for a moment, her mind tumbling a little too rapidly for her to keep up. For some reason it hadn’t occurred to her that the delivery boy would be a delivery girl, although she realized that was a stupid assumption to make. And she certainly hadn’t expected the delivery girl to be so beautiful.

Clarke stared longer than was comfortable, only realizing too late, when the girl shifted nervously on her feet, her smile faltering. The girl’s skin was flawless, her long hair spilling down her back in shiny, lustrous waves. Clarke had the overwhelming desire to reach out and touch it, but was sure she would be slapped and rightfully so.

She backed up nodding stupidly. “Um…yes…sorry! I just wasn’t expecting…I mean…” she gestured helplessly in the air, still backing up and waving the girl into the hallway. “I mean you’re a girl. Woman! Woman!” she corrected hastily, wincing at her words tumbling past her lips without her permission.

“I…uh…just wasn’t expecting someone so…uh….” She gestured helplessly in the air, wincing again at the look on the other girl’s face. “…beautiful.” She finished, slamming her lips closed, her teeth clinking against each other hard enough to hurt. She wanted nothing more than to face palm and sink into the floor. She had just told the perfect stranger in her hallway that she was beautiful.

Lexa stared at the other girl, noting the drying flour on her cheek, the blonde hair that had escaped her braid. At first she’d been worried about the way the girl stared at her, but now she relaxed, bringing her hand out of her pocket. The blonde was harmless, well perhaps not to herself. She cocked her head, watching as the flush of red spread up the girl’s neck and blossomed across her cheeks. She smiled.

“You think I’m beautiful?” She couldn’t help it. She knew she shouldn’t tease her or flirt with her, but it just slipped out, and it had nothing to do with wanting a bigger tip.

Clarke groaned and dropped her face into her hands. “Oh goddess, I am so sorry! That was so…ugh.” She sighed and peeked out between her fingers, finally dropping her hands when she saw the other girl smiling at her.

“I really am sorry.”

Lexa could feel her smile growing even wider, and she shrugged a little. “It’s ok. I’m not offended. At least you didn’t proposition me.” She couldn’t resist and winked at Clarke, laughing lightly at the way the blonde blushed.

“Ok you can stop now,” Clarke laughed and turned around gesturing for Lexa to follow her. “I have to get my wallet, if you don’t mind waiting here.”

Lexa nodded and stood in the foyer at the end of the short hallway. She could see into both the living room on the right and part of the kitchen on the left. Her eyes widened as she saw the mess on the counters, and she grinned again. The blonde didn’t appear to be much of a cook. Maybe Lexa would get lucky, and the girl would order pizza again.

The blonde returned quickly, wallet in hand. “What do I owe you?”

“Twelve for the pizza.” Lexa looked down at the slip in her hand, “Thin crust, gluten free, genoa salami, mozzarella balls, and…” she looked down at the slip again, “…uh…pepperoncini and fresh basil?” She glanced up at the blonde and held out the pizza when the girl nodded.

“Yeah.” Clarke handed her a twenty, “keep the change.”

“Oh…no…it’s too much for a tip.”

“No, it isn’t. Thank you for the pizza.” She hefted the pizza in her hands, wishing she had something interesting to say to get the girl to stay longer, but knowing she probably had a number of pizzas in her car to deliver.

Lexa nodded and smiled again, shoving the twenty into her pocket. She turned slowly and walked back to the door, the blonde behind her. She ducked her head and smiled a little when the blonde hastily reached around her and pulled the door open for her. She leaned back slightly, blushing as her back brushed against the blonde’s front, and she was sure she heard a sharp inhalation behind her.

Clarke bit her lip at the light press of Lexa’s back against her breasts, and she let out a shaky breath when the brunette moved away, slipping out the door. She stood in the doorway watching as the girl walked to her car, and she smiled and waved, probably too enthusiastically considering she didn’t know the girl, but she didn’t regret it when the brunette grinned, showing her teeth and waved back.

******************************

Clarke groaned and shook out her shoulders as she stood up from her seat in the lecture hall. Three hours of Rocket Propulsion class was enough to exhaust anyone. She stretched enjoying the way her spine popped and realigned, before grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulders. Last class of the day, and it was Friday.

She smiled at the thought, pretending that the sudden skip in her step wasn’t due to the thought of a certain delivery girl. She had been waiting for Friday all week, determined to order pizza again in hopes that she would see her again, never mind the fact that her refrigerator was currently full of pizza. She’d ordered pizza Tuesday and Wednesday night hoping the delivery person would be the mystery girl, but each time it had been an awkward boy with dark hair and gangly limbs.

“Yo, Griffin, wait up!”

She slowed her step, a little surprised as Raven fell into step with her. They shared some of the same classes, and she knew Raven had an on and off again thing with her friend Bellamy, but they never had really hung out.

“Yes?”

“Did you get the handout for the study materials from our single variable calculus class? I missed the class this morning.”

Clarke nodded, surprised that Raven had missed the class, it was unlike the other girl.

Raven shrugged, “I had a date. One that went into this morning and went very well.” She chuckled and nudged Clarke’s shoulder, winking.

Clarke laughed and nodded, “sure I’ll email you a copy later.”

“Thanks, chum.”

Clarke rolled her eyes and walked down the steps of the lecture building, surprised again when Raven walked with her. “So…you and Bellamy?”

Raven shook her head, “Nope. We’re done.”

“Done? Like done DONE or just done?”

“Done DONE. He’s a good friend, and we’ve had fun, but we fight more than we should when we are together. But we never fight when we aren’t together. So yeah… done DONE.”

Clarke nodded, she’d gone through the same thing with Finn last year. Except Finn had wanted more, and she hadn’t. She liked him, maybe even loved him a little, but not enough to want the same things he did. He saw a future of them together with three kids and a dog and a white picket fence around their house. She supposed it wasn’t a bad dream at all, one that was even a little bit appealing, but whenever she tried to picture it with her and Finn…she winced just thinking about it. Besides, she’d found out after the fact that Finn had been in a long-term relationship just days before they started dating, and she wasn’t convinced he’d actually broken up with his ex before he and Clarke had hooked up. She was better off without him.

“Doing anything fun this weekend?”

Clarke immediately thought about the pizza delivery girl and blushed. She ducked her head, turning slightly away from Raven in hopes the other girl wouldn’t notice.

“Uh uh uh! Someone is blushing,” Raven laughed and bumped shoulders with Clarke. “Getting some action this weekend hmmmm?”

“Raven!”

“That’s my name, and the ladies do love screaming it!” Raven laughed at her own joke, dismissing Clarke’s roll of the eyes with a careless wave of her hand.

“So….ladies huh?” Clarke chewed on her bottom lip, her mind spinning. She’d always known she was probably bi. She’d made out with a few girls in high school and even in college, hands had found their way under shirts and down pants, but that was as far as it went. But here was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

Raven chuckled and looked at Clarke out of the corner of her eye. But she sobered quickly when she noticed the look of confusion on the other girl’s face.

She gently nudged her with her shoulder, “Hey, Clarkey? You ok?”

“Huh? Oh yes…um…I was just thinking…” her voice trailed off, and she came to a halt on the quad, Raven quiet beside her.

“You want to talk about it?”

Clarke looked down at her feet and then back up to Raven, noting the sincerity in her eyes, the open expression on her face. She wondered why she hadn’t spent more time with Raven. The girl was a genius, already having interned at NASA, and had a job waiting for her there when she graduated. But more importantly the girl funny and kind. She could really use more friends like Raven.

“Um…you mentioned ladies…?” Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t finish her sentence, hoping Raven would do the heavy lifting and pick up on her unasked questions.

Raven nodded and turned fully towards Clarke, “Yeah, I’m bi, and my super hot date last night was a woman.” She waited patiently but when Clarke didn’t seem inclined to say anything, she continued. “I figured out I was bi when I was pretty young, around twelve I think. Had this wicked crush on the most popular girl in school. I wrote her little poems and put them in her locker with little candies.”

“What happened?”

Raven shrugged. “I got a black eye and busted lip for my troubles.” She winced, realizing that probably wasn’t the best example of…well anything good.

“Well anyway…I’ve dated women, had one-night stands with them.” She looked down and shuffled her feet, her mind wandering, “that was mostly in college, but there was a girl in high school. My boyfriend and I had broken up, and she was there when I needed her…” she sighed and shrugged again, pushing thoughts of the girl she’d almost loved from her mind. “But my boyfriend and I got back together and were together for years.”

“What happened?”

“He fell in love with some other girl. And then Bellamy and I started our thing last year, but honestly…I think I’m done with men for a while. Girls are…well, they aren’t easier,” she laughed, “but they tend to love more fiercely. And the sex…” she whistled under breath, “damn, Clarke, the sex is always better.”

Clarke nodded like she understood, and perhaps she did despite never actually dating a woman, because a certain pizza delivery girl had taken up residence in her mind and refused to leave. “Thanks, Raven.”

“No problem, Clarkey.”

Clarke rolled her eyes at the new nickname. “Really?”

“Yup. Really. We’re bosom buddies now.” Raven nodded emphatically, her eyes twinkling.

“Or really? That close?” Clarke sniffed and rolled her eyes at Raven but couldn’t help the smile that practically split her face in two.

Raven looped her arm through Clarke’s, “Yup, we are part of a sisterhood now. Sisters of the Vag!” Raven punched her fist into the air, the air echoing around them.

“Raven!”

“What?”

Clarke groaned and then laughed and shook her head. She’d been right. She needed a friend like Raven. She needed Raven as a friend.

“What’s your problem? Keep walking, buddy?” Raven sneered at the frat boy who’d whirled around when he heard Raven’s cry.

Raven turned back to Clarke and tugged her forward, “Want to study Monday night? I could use a partner for that rocket propulsion test we have coming up.” It was a lie, and they both knew it, but Clarke accepted it for what it was, and offer of friendship.

“I’d like that.” She smiled and walked towards her car while Raven regaled her with tales of her date the night before, going far more into detail than Clarke was comfortable with, which was probably why Raven did it.

********************************

Lexa felt strangely giddy as she readied for work, pulling on the red sweatshirt, and applying a thin coat of lip gloss and then eyeliner. She pretended that the extra minutes spent on her appearance were natural and had nothing to do with a certain blonde, that she was hoping would order pizza again. She sighed and pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt, carefully examining her appearance in the mirror. Not much she could do about the uniform, but at least her makeup looked good. Understated enough to not draw too much attention, but still enough to cause her lips to glisten, and he eyes to look smoky green in the mirror.

She nodded and grabbed her keys and purse heading out for another night of delivering pizzas. She hummed along to the radio, trying not to think about the blonde. She’d plagued her every day since she met her, and she’d found herself staring off into la-la land more than once during her classes. She’d finally caved and texted Anya last night, hoping to get her opinion on the matter, but Anya had been out, and still hadn’t returned her call. Maybe she was on a date. Goddess knew Anya needed a woman in her life, someone who was more than a one-night stand.

She made her way into the restaurant, nodding at her colleagues, anxious to get started. She grabbed the slips from Bellamy, quickly shuffling through them, sighing when she didn’t see one from the blonde.

“Looking for something?”

“No. No. Just checking what my tips might be.” She hurriedly put them into her pouch and picked up the load of pizzas, making her way quickly to her car, hoping Bellamy wouldn’t pursue it. She sighed in relief when he didn’t follow her out, and she started her first run of the night.

She’d already made fifteen deliveries before she was handed the slip she’d been waiting for all night. Her hand shook slightly as she looked down at the address she’d already memorized.

_Clarke._

She smiled, her name was Clarke. It fit her. She wasn’t sure why, but it did. She folded the slip carefully and slipped it into her back pocket instead of in the pouch. She grabbed the pizza noting it was the same pizza as last Friday. She could feel her excitement and anxiety building as she made the trip to Clarke’s apartment. She pulled into the driveway next to the BMW, wondering what color it actually was. Dark. That was all she knew. She took a deep breath and picked up the pizza, holding it in two hands while she waited for Clarke to answer the doorbell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa meet again. Clarke is an awkward bean. Some Ranya and Clarke and Raven bonding and Lexa and Raven bonding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter after this and then the sequel!
> 
> There is some Ranya in this chapter and Clarke and Lexa aren't together for half of the chapter, but there is a reason for this. Their subsequent interactions with other characters is what brings them together.
> 
> Small trigger warning for men being jerks and grabbing Lexa.

Clarke checked her reflection one last time in the stainless-steel reflection off the refrigerator, moving a few strands of blonde hair off her face. She’d already checked, double checked, and triple checked her hair and clothes, even her teeth. She’d been mortified last Friday after the delivery girl left to learn that she had flour streaked across her face, and her hair had been in a bit of disarray around her face. But not today.

She smoothed her hands down her hips, enjoying the feel of the soft, black yoga pants that clung to every curve. It had taken her a while to learn to embrace her curves in a world that measured beauty by how thin you were and how much you ate, but she’d learned to love her curves and even show them off, and these pants did just that. And she knew the matching lace tank top set off her shoulders and collarbone. She was ready.

She took a deep breath when she heard the doorbell and glanced down at the watch on her wrist. She reached up and rubbed the soft and fraying strap with her fingers, smiling a little. She’d loved the watch as a child, loved the story behind it, never failing to smile as she sat in her father’s lap, and he told her how Abby had saved her money for weeks when they were dating and bought it for him, years before either of them really had any money. And it had been her mother who had presented the watch to her a few days after his death. She had carried it in her pocket every single day for a year, before she could bring herself to strap it on to her wrist. And now it was her constant companion.

She blinked back the mist in her eyes and straightened her shoulders before walking down the short hallway to grasp the door knob, hesitating briefly, before she turned the knob and opened the door.

Clarke managed to refrain from gasping this time, but it took more effort than she would have imagined. Never had anyone made tight, worn jeans, red cap and red sweatshirt look so good.

“It should be illegal for anyone to look that good,” she murmured before smiling brightly. Only for her smile to waver as she saw the other girl’s eyes widen and her mouth drop open slightly. A reaction, she wasn’t averse to receiving except now the girl wouldn’t look at her.

“Oh goddess. I-I…Oh god,” she mumbled as she dropped her head, realizing too late what she had done.

“I said that out loud didn’t I?” She dared to peek a glance up at the girl who was now smiling hesitantly at her and nodding her head.

“I am so fucking sorry,” Clarke breathed out, clenching her eyes shut, her hand wrapped too tightly around the door handle still.

“Hey…hey…it’s ok. No harm.” Lexa was surprised at the sudden desire to make Clarke feel better, and she placed her hand on Clarke’s arm without thinking about the familiarity of it, too concerned with the embarrassment and shame blushing across Clarke’s face.

Her hand was warm on her arm, and it startled Clarke enough to make her tense slightly, but she quickly relaxed and smiled, biting her lower lip.

“I really am sorry. Apparently, my mouth has a mind of its own what it comes to you.”

Lexa’s eyebrows shot up at the innocent phrasing, her mind already turning it over too rapidly, tearing it apart and over-analyzing it, searching for any hidden meaning. She couldn’t help but look down, her gaze fixating on Clarke’s mouth. And she wasn’t sure that the way Clarke flicked her tongue against her bottom lip was particularly innocent. And she smiled at the way the tiny corners of Clarke’s mouth quirked, making her blooming smile just crooked enough to make it adorable.

Lexa wasn’t aware that she had licked her lips while staring at Clarke’s mouth, until she saw Clarke’s sly wink. She took a step back, her cheeks flushing, as she coughed and managed to tear her eyes away from Clarke’s mouth.

She raised her the pizza in her hands, trying to smile through her embarrassment. “So same pizza as last week?”

Clarke stepped back, waving Lexa into the foyer again. “Yeah,” she shrugged a little sheepishly. “It’s good pizza.” Except she didn’t particularly like the pizza. It had been her dad’s favorite, and she quickly realized that she hadn’t liked it as a child, and still didn’t like it as an adult. But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t about the pizza. It was about the girl with the beautiful green eyes that haunted her dreams at night.

It only took Clarke a moment to get her purse, to pull the twenty-dollar bill out. She hesitated in the living room, wishing she could figure out a way to draw out their interaction, but nothing sounded charming or appropriate. She was sure the girl was constantly being hit upon, and probably wasn’t a huge fan of it. And she certainly didn’t know if the girl was gay or bi.

“Right,” she muttered under her breath. “First I need to know if she’s even into girls.” She folded and unfolded the bill, not paying much attention as she stared off into space, wondering how she could find out the information without being obvious about it.

“Um, Miss?” Lexa shuffled a few steps, trying not to peek her head around the end of the wall in the foyer so she could see directly into the living room. But she was growing more and more concerned as the minutes ticked by, and the other girl didn’t re-appear.

“Shit,” muttered Clarke as she turned around and hurried the few steps out of the living room and into the foyer, catching sight of the other girl’s bright red sweatshirt, as the girl retreated back into the foyer. She fully rounded the corner and smiled brightly at the girl.

“Sorry, about that. Got a little uh…distracted,” she shrugged and held out the now wrinkled bill. “Keep the change.”

Lexa shook her head, “No. No, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to come so far into the foyer,” she shuffled her feet a little looking down at the pizza in her hands, not really seeing the bright red lettering on the white box. “I was just getting a little worried when you didn’t come back.”

Clarke cocked her head a little, a smile slowly breaking across her lips “Worried, huh?”

Lexa rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Well my boss would not be happy if I came back with this pizza.”

Clarke nodded and reached out with her other hand, slipping it under the pizza box, her fingers skating across Lexa’s hand. She tried not to linger, not wanting to be that gross person who touched without permission, but her fingers still strayed briefly across the back of Lexa’s hand and down the long fingers, before bracketing Lexa’s hand with her own, and allowing Lexa to withdraw her hand from under Clarke’s.

But Lexa hesitated, enjoying the brief warmth of Clarke’s fingers skimming across her own, enjoyed the way Clarke’s palm rested warmly against the back of her hand. And perhaps it shouldn’t have felt so warm and secure, but it did, and Lexa was reluctant to let go of the pizza, but she did.

Once the pizza was safely transferred, Lexa took the bill from Clarke waving it slightly in the air in salute. “Thank you. You know the tip really is too generous for a $12 pizza.”

“Nope.” Clarke popped her lips on the “p” and grinned at Lexa. “It is more than worth it. I appreciate you coming out all this way to deliver the pizza, and uh…ignoring my faux paus.” She wrinkled her nose at Lexa’s chuckle.

“Believe me, what you said was pretty tame compared to what I’ve heard delivering pizzas to the frat houses.” Lexa shook her head in amusement at the way Clarke’s eyes widened.

“Oh goddess,” groaned Clarke as she shook her head, the corners of her mouth turning down.

“Hey. Hey. No, it’s ok.” Lexa reached out and gently placed her hand on Clarke’s shoulder, letting her thumb drift across the bare, rounded muscle. “Trust me, everything is ok.” She ducked her head to peer at Clarke who had dropped her head slightly. “I haven’t been offended at all by anything you’ve said.”

Clarke sighed and looked up at Lexa, noting the soft brightness in her eyes. She stared longer than was polite, her gaze narrowing until she couldn’t see anything beyond the green that filled her vision. And she didn’t realize she was holding her breath as she plummeted softly into the sea of green, letting it fill all of her senses, carry her away with each rise and fall of the other girl’s chest.

Lexa said nothing, barely daring to breathe when the other girl had stepped into her space, leaving only the width of the pizza box between them, one of the corners digging into her belly. She both cursed and praised the unassuming cardboard box that was wedged between them, giving her just enough space to keep her wits about her, but wishing that the warmth from the pizza box was the warmth of Clarke’s body pressed against her own.

“I have to go,” she murmured. “L-lots of deliveries,” her voice shook slightly. She didn’t want to leave, wasn’t ready to leave, but she’d already stayed too long, and she still had three more deliveries to make. Bellamy would be calling her any minute, demanding to know why she hadn’t made all of her deliveries yet. She winced as she stepped back, her fingers curling tightly around the bill in her hand.

Clarke blinked at her, her face coming slowly into her line of sight as the green receded in soft waves from her gaze. She nodded, saying nothing, still feeling slightly dazed, almost lost as the floating sensation slowly faded. She said nothing more, walking the other girl to the door, staring intently at the red of her sweatshirt, her mind to cloudy to really focus.

She said nothing, just smiled a little at the girl, suddenly bereft of her presence. She shivered, vaguely aware that the night wasn’t really cold enough to cause her shiver. She watched as the girl opened her car door, hesitating and looking back at her.

“What’s your name?” Her voice was too loud in the stillness of the night air, it sounded sharp in her own ears.

“Lexa.”

Clarke smiled and waved her hand goodbye, “I’m Clarke.”

“I know.”

And Clarke smiled wondering how two simple words could cause the giddy rush along her nerves. She turned back to the door, walking down the long foyer and set the pizza on the counter. She opened the refrigerator door, grabbing the leftovers from the chicken marsala she’d made the night before. She placed the bowl in the microwave, staring at the numbers as they counted down.

The loud beeping made her heart race, and she chuckled as she opened the microwave door and pulled out the steaming bowl. She juggled it in her hands, yelping at the sear of heat against her fingertips. She set it down with a clatter, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity.

“You really need to stop thinking about her,” she scolded under her breath, before grabbing a fork and a wad of napkins. She carefully picked up the bowl and retreated into the living room, settling into her favorite chair. She cradled the bowl in her lap on a layer of napkins and grabbed her textbook for her class on rocket propulsion and started reading.

 _Lexa. Her name is Lexa. Almost as beautiful as she._ She smiled again and turned her attention back to her book.

“Damnit! I still don’t know if she is into women!”

******************************

Lexa cradled the phone between her shoulder and neck as she awkwardly pulled the small canvas tote bag of groceries out of her car, while juggling two books under her arm. She dropped her keys twice, having to set the canvas tote down so she could unlock the door and still manage to grunt into her cell phone as she listened to Anya describe her takedown of a local drug dealer that had connections to the college’s campus security.

She managed to put her few groceries away and grabbed a glass of water before settling down onto the worn couch. She slipped off her sneakers and put her feet on the coffee table, slumping down into a comfortable position. The couch might have seen better years, but it was still comfortable, and the first piece of furniture she’d ever bought with her own money.

“Sounds like you did good, An. Really good.”

Anya grunted into the phone, pretending that Lexa’s words didn’t fill her with pride. She’d been after the drug dealer for over a year now, trying to find his contacts on the college campus. She’d been more than a little worried about the oxy that had flooded the campus, worried about the kids who’d accidentally overdosed, worried about the frats that partied on it. It put her sister in danger, and finally cracking the case open by finding the security officers involved had been a huge win for her professionally but also personally. She could breathe a little easier now knowing they’d managed to cut the flow of drugs to the college, which meant that when Lexa delivered pizzas late at night to frats and sororities that used to have the drugs, she was now safer.

_“So what you been up to besides studying and delivering pizzas? You hanging out? Having fun?”_

Lexa shrugged, staying silent. She’d always had a little trouble making friends, never feeling like she really fit in with any of the kids at school. And it was hard to make friends when you never knew which day would be your last in school or in the current foster home. That had changed with Gustus and Ryder, she’d finally found stability and love.

_“Lexa?”_

She shrugged again, her fingers picking at the stray threads on the seat of the couch. “You know me, An. I don’t really need friends.” It was a lie, and Anya wasn’t feeling gracious enough to let her get away with it.

_“Bullshit. We all need friends.”_

Lexa jumped on the opening, grateful for the chance to turn the tables. “Oh really? And what about your friends? Meet anyone lately?”

_“I’m a cop. I don’t have time for friends.”_

“Bullshit.”

Neither said anything for a long moment, and Lexa shifted on the couch, worry starting to cloud her mind, nip at her nerves. It was unlike Anya to be so quiet, to not have a snappy comeback, but before she could drown in her own worry, Anya spoke again. Her voice soft, almost wistful.

_“Actually, I did meet someone.”_

Lexa sat up straight, holding her breath. She said nothing, not wanting Anya to retreat from her. There was something different in the slight inflections of her voice, and Lexa didn’t dare bring attention to it.

“Oh?”

 _“Yeah, I had a date the other night.”_ She chuckled a little, nerves making her voice huskier than normal.

_“It went long, into the next day.”_

Lexa waited for the laugh that normally accompanied such a confession, the sly innuendo in Anya’s voice, but it never came.

She decided to pry just a little, push Anya just enough. “What’s different about her?”

Anya said nothing for a long moment, her mind flashing back to the feel of Raven’s mouth pressing against her cheek, the way her hair tumbled in disarray around her shoulders while the younger girl leaned over her textbook, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she concentrated on a formula that Anya had no hope of ever understanding; the way her voice sounded when she murmured Anya’s name…

 _“I don’t know. But everything about her is different. Everything she touches is better. I’m better,”_ she confessed, her voice low almost too soft for Lexa to hear.

Lexa was stunned, her mouth hanging open slightly, her mind reeling. Her sister was in love. “Love them and leave them” Anya was in love for the first time, and Lexa wanted to shout in happiness, but was afraid of Anya’s scathing retort, not to mention that Anya would make it a point to tease her mercilessly about Clarke if Lexa were to mention her.

“Th-that’s good, An, real good.” She said nothing more, letting her words and the tone of her voice say it all. She knew Anya would understand.

_“Thanks. So what about you? You meet anyone?”_

“Actually, yeah. She’s a customer, but I don’t know how to…”

They spoke for more than an hour, neither quite ready to confess their full feelings, too afraid that something good could be ripped from them yet again. They’d spent too many years clinging to hope, only to have it ripped from them most of their early childhoods. And some behaviors were hard to acknowledge and let go. Sometimes it was better to hope in silence.

********************

Clarke carefully unfolded the sandwich from the wax paper. She normally cooked and packed something to eat during her classes, but this time deciding to grab something from the small deli on campus instead. She took a bite, humming at the taste of the pesto. She really needed to ask them for the recipe.

“So I need some advice.”

She set her sandwich down and snagged a chip from the open bag that she was sharing with Raven. She leaned back against trunk of the tree they were sitting under, enjoying the shade from the bright sun. She nodded and waited for Raven to continue, slightly surprised at the way the other girl hesitated. Raven was normally so self-assured, confident bordering on arrogance, that her silence was almost unnerving.

“You ok, Rei?”

Raven nodded and huffed, blowing her bangs off her face before looking down at the sandwich in her lap. Why on earth did she order roast beef? She hated roast beef. Raven rolled her eyes, because _she_ liked roast beef, and she hadn’t seen the detective in a week and missed her. Missed her way too much for her feelings to only be casual.

“So that date I mentioned?” She waited for Clarke to nod before continuing, “Well, we’ve been out on two more dates, and we talk on the phone sometimes.”

“Talk on the phone huh? That doesn’t sound casual.” Clarke popped another chip in her mouth, watching Raven pick at her sandwich and say nothing. She sighed and sat up straight, setting her sandwich aside and crossing her legs.

“Rei, it’s ok to not be casual, ya know? Or does she only want casual?”

Raven shrugged looking up at Clarke, her face uncharacteristically sober. “I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about it. It was supposed to be a one-night stand. But I keep thinking about her!” She growled in frustration and threw her hands in the air, before resting her elbows on her knees and pressing her hands into the side of her face.

“Gah! This is so annoying! I mean…what the actual fuck!? Bellamy and I were in an actual relationship or something or other, and I didn’t think about him nearly as much as I do about her.”

Clarke nodded slowly, understanding the truth of her words. She was spending far more time thinking about Lexa than she ever had Finn. “Maybe talk to her?”

“No. She will probably run for the hills. She’s not good at talking either. Strong, silent type. And when she isn’t silent, she’s snarky,” laughed Raven. She shrugged and leered at Clarke, wiggling her eyebrows. “Besides, I like her for what her mouth can do, not what it can say.”

Clarke laughed and rolled her eyes before staring at Raven. “Liar.”

Raven stopped chuckling, her breath catching in her chest, and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to cry. “Yup,” she said, the wetness evident in her tone.

Clarke shuffled over to her, slinging her arm around Raven’s shoulders. “She would be lucky to have you, Raven. Lucky to have someone like you love her, and even more lucky to love you in return. She pressed a kiss against Raven’s cheek, smiling a little when the girl sniffed and pressed her face into Clarke’s neck.

“Yeah, ‘cuz I’m awesome.”

Clarke laughed and nodded, combing her fingers through Raven’s long hair. “Yes, you are. And I would choose you first.”

They sat there for long moments until Raven finally pulled away, blushing a little. “Thanks, Clarkey. You…I mean…you’re…” she huffed in exasperation. “You’re pretty damn awesome, Clarke, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend like you.” She looked down at her sandwich, wrinkling her nose. Really? Roast beef?! “I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend like you, actually. So thank you.”

Clarke nudged Raven with her shoulder, “Right back at you, Rei. I feel like you’ve always been here, even though its only been a few weeks. Guess we both lucked out.”

Raven laughed and nodded and picked up her sandwich, staring at it distastefully. She took a bite and grimaced, but her stomach too greedy to let her ignore the sandwich.

“When did you start liking roast beef?”

Raven sighed and dropped the sandwich back into her lap as she swallowed the bite with another grimace. “I don’t. But it’s her favorite, and I dunno….” She blushed, “I miss her. She’s had a really big week, some huge case that she was working on, so I haven’t seen her. Stupid, right?”

Clarke thought back to the last few days since she’d seen Lexa and shook her head. “No, not stupid. I get it.” She picked up her sandwich and carefully tore it in half and handed half to Raven who took it eagerly. She laughed when Raven took a bite and groaned.

“So what about you? Oh and what is up with all the fucking pizza in your refrigerator?”

Clarke groaned and blushed and swatted Raven when the other girl started hooting at her. She should have known that Raven would notice the pizza boxes in her fridge, when the girl had been over the other night for a study session.

“So…there’s this girl…”

*************************

Lexa threw herself onto the couch, slumping low in the seat, trying to hold the tears back. She didn’t normally work Monday nights, but had agreed to take Jasper’s shift when he’d called her in desperation, blathering on about some girl named Mia and how he’d finally got a date with her. She’d agreed just to shut him up about it, as she really didn’t need to hear any more about how her hair shone in the moonlight, her skin glowed with unearthly beauty…yada yada yada.

So she’d been a little unprepared for Monday night football deliveries. Most of the deliveries had been to customers who had already had way too many beers under their belts by the time she showed up with the pizza. One guy had grabbed her arm when she refused to give him her number, and she’d been saved from having to punch him in the throat by his buddy who grabbed him and pulled his arm away, chastising him in a loud voice. The guy had apologized for his drunk buddy and tipped her twenty bucks, but it did nothing to erase the memory of the man’s loud, jeering voice or the smell of his beer breath. Another had called her a dyke when she’d refused to give him more than just his pizza. And she’d even had her ass slapped at one point in the night. She’d punched that asshole, and all his friends laughed at him, and she left as quickly as possible, cursing when she realized that she hadn’t collected the money for the chicken wings and breadsticks. She’d had to pay for it out of her own pocket.

“Yo, toots, what’s up?”

Lexa looked up at Raven as the other girl entered the room, home from her mystery date. Raven had been abnormally quiet about the woman she was dating, saying she didn’t want to jinx it. It was a welcome change from the number of times that Raven regaled her with her stories that made her face burn and twist her insides a little.

She shrugged and looked down, hiding beneath the brim of her cap. She knew she needed to get up and shower, she smelled of pizza and beer, and she felt dirty. Dirty in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“…’s fine,” she muttered under her breath, but the tightness in her throat betrayed her, and she slumped into Raven’s arms in relief as the older girl rocked her and rubbed her back.

“Hey…hey…you’re ok. You’re safe, Lexie. I’ve got you.” Raven could smell the beer on her friend, and she could feel the tears on her neck, and her worry ratcheted up another notch. Lexa was tough, tougher than she should have to be, something bad had happened, and Raven didn’t know what to do. So she held her and rocked her for a few minutes, until Lexa finally pulled away.

“Sorry, didn’t meant to cry on you. It was just a bad night delivering pizzas, and I didn’t do well on one of the case studies I turned in.” She wiped at her eyes, knowing that there was more to it. Clarke still appeared nightly in her dreams, and Lexa didn’t know how to tell her that she was interested in her, that she wanted to take her on a date, and with each passing day, she berated herself for her lack of courage.

“Ok, first of all, I’m sure you did better on your case study than you think. I mean what did you do? Get a B?” She snorted when Lexa blushed and shook her head, reaching out and pulling Lexa’s cap off her head and tossing it onto the coffee table.

“Lex, a B isn’t the end of the world,” she held up her hand forestalling Lexa’s protests, “and yes, I get the irony, since I would probably freak out if I got a B also. But you still have what…three more case studies left in the course? So yeah…you have plenty of time to make an A in the class. You got this.”

Lexa nodded, knowing it was foolish. She sighed and slumped against Raven saying nothing, enjoying the way the other girl rubbed her shoulder. She didn’t allow many people to touch her, Raven being one of the few exceptions along with her family. But Anya wasn’t the touchy feely type, so it was a relief to feel Raven’s comfort.

“As to the other part…I’m guessing some assholes were drunk and decided to touch you?” She grit her teeth when Lexa nodded. “Ok…so I’m going to need their addresses.”

Lexa pulled back, her brow knit in confusing and a little worry. “Why?”

“Cuz I’m going to blow them the fuck up. No one touches you without your permission.”

Lexa tried to laugh, but it died in her throat at the serious look on Raven’s face. She meant it. She actually meant it, and it sent a warm feeling skittering along her nerves. “I feel like that might be a little extreme.”

She chuckled again and sat up, “you’re as bad as Anya.”

“Anya?”

Lexa turned back to Raven cocking her head, “Yeah, my older sister, the detective.”

Raven felt her blood freeze and her mind stutter to a stop before sputtering back to life. “Anya? But you said your sister was Ahn. You always said Ahn,” she murmured.

“Yeah, that’s her nickname. But her name is Anya. Why?”

“Uh…well…you know that mystery date of mine…” her voice trailed off and she said nothing, just staring at Lexa watching as the light dawned on her.

“Oh my god! You’re Anya’s girl!” She couldn’t keep the excitement out of her tone, and she actually clapped her hands together in excitement, ignoring the fact that such an action would normally make her roll her eyes at the sheer drama of it.

“Wait? Anya’s girl? She said that?” Raven grabbed Lexa’s hands, squeezing them hard enough to get her attention.

Lexa smirked and settled back onto the couch, a pleased smile on her face as she chuckled. “Oh my. Yes. Anya has had a few things to say about you.”

“What?! Really?! Tell me!!” Raven pounced on Lexa, tickling her mercilessly while the younger girl squealed and squirmed trying to get away from her.

“S-st-stop! No more!” She pleaded as she gasped for air between her laughs, her ribs aching slightly. It had been a long time since she’d laughed so hard, and she was relieved when Raven finally stopped tickling her, instead draping herself on top of Lexa.

“Spill. Everything.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “I can’t tell you everything. But…” she looked Raven in the eye, hoping her seriousness would tell Raven what she wanted to know. “You should talk to her. I mean really talk to her.”

She saw Raven wince and start to pull away a little, but she wrapped her arms around Raven, pulling her back down on top of her. “Sometimes Love must be Bold.”

“Love must be bold?” She licked her lips when Lexa nodded, and she took a deep breath. “Bold. Ok. I can be bold. Love must be bold.” She nodded and scrambled off of Lexa and started to leave the room before turning back around.

“I have a call to make. But this isn’t done. If you won’t give me their addresses, you should at least give them to the campus police or to the provost of the school. Those assholes have no right grabbing you, and they shouldn’t get away with it.”

Lexa nodded, knowing it was true, but not wanting to make a fuss.

“Or I could tell Anya. I doubt your sister would be pleased to hear about it. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. She could put the fear of the goddess into them.”

Lexa chuckled and nodded, knowing it was true. Anya would have them pissing themselves within moments. It wasn’t a bad idea, but maybe she would talk to Bellamy first. She nodded again and waved Raven away. “Go make your call. I’m fine. I’m going to shower.”

*********************

She stepped into the shower, flinching at the heat of the water. She’d made it hotter than normal, still feeling a little dirty. She lathered her loofah and scrubbed herself clean two times before she was satisfied. She turned the heat down a little, smiling when the water turned warm. She lifted her face up to the shower head, smiling at the way the water pelted her face and dripped down her cheeks. She opened her mouth slightly, letting the drops hit her lips.

Her thoughts inevitably strayed to Clarke, and an unbidden smile settled across her lips. She closed her eyes and imagined Clarke was with her, her mouth ghosting across Lexa’s. She shivered at the feel of the warm pressure of water, the slight tingle in her lips that grew and flushed down her chest to settle into her belly.

Her hand drifted down her belly, her fingers scraping the against the narrow strip of trimmed hair between her legs, and she shuddered as she pressed her fingers against her clit. She raised her other hand, palm flat against the wall of the shower, her face still tilted toward the shower head, the water making her sensitive mouth tingle.

She didn’t think about it when her fingers strayed between her outer lips, gathering the wetness between her legs and smearing it across her clit. She circled her clit with her fingers, shifting and spreading her legs a little wider as she leaned more of her weight on the hand bracing herself. She hissed at the feel of her clit hardening under her fingers, and she pressed down hard on it, grinding it a little under her fingers, before easing up on the pressure.

She dipped her fingers lower, her fingertips pressing lightly against her opening, circling it, but not pushing in. She took a deep breath, pulling her fingers up through her wetness, before her fingers found her clit again. She muttered unintelligible words under her breath, her breath catching and stuttering in her chest, her heart pounding in her ears. She groaned, dropped her head, and abandoned the teasing and instead simply rubbed her clit, feeling the pressure build quickly, her hips jerking shakily under her hand.

It took only another moment, laughing blue eyes filling her mind, white teeth biting on a pink lip, and the heat in her stomach unspiraled too fast for her to grasp the moment, and she came hard, pulsing against her hand.

“Claaarke.” It was soft, her tongue curling around the word, and she held it in her mouth just to feel the weight of it on her tongue, before it slipped past her lips unbidden.

It was long moments before she raised her head shivering as the cool water tumbled down over her face and shoulders. She shook her head and stepped back, her fingers grasping at the knobs, as they slipped across the gleaming surfaces, and it took her a moment to finally get them turned off.

She stood there in the shower, water running down her skin, and the one word kept replaying in her mind over and over again.

"Clarke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? What about that ending eh?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa finally get their shit together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the last chapter of the story! I hope you all enjoy it! And I'm sorry it took me so long. Moving over a 1,000 miles from home and getting a new job and place to live kind of took up all my time. But it's here, and there is going to be a one shot sequel.

Raven lightly dragged her fingertips through the fine sheen of sweat on Anya’s belly, smiling at the way Anya’s tired muscles still twitched under her touch. She really should have been studying, but when Anya had texted her asking her to come over for Netflix and chill, Raven had immediately forgotten about everything else except the way the older woman made her feel: safe, protected, perhaps even loved.

“And what are you thinking about so hard? I can practically hear your mind whirring.” Anya shifted in the sheets, wrapping her hand around Raven’s shoulder and pulling her a little tighter to her chest. She pressed her lips to the crown of hair tucked under her chin.

“How did we not meet before this? I mean it’s kind of weird, ya know.” Raven turned in Anya’s arms, propping herself up on her elbows, so she could see Anya fully.

When Anya simply arched an eyebrow at her, she continued, “I mean…Clarke and I are friends, well better friends now then we were a few weeks ago. We traveled in the same circles. I mean Clarke is friends with Bellamy…” she grinned when Anya rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath.

“Stop, he’s my friend.” She pressed a kiss between the valley of Anya’s breasts, fighting the urge to press her tongue against the warm skin and drag it over her breasts. She sighed and pulled back slightly, “…and Lexa works for Bellamy.”

Anya shrugged, “Does it matter? It’s just the way it worked out.”

Raven laid her head on Anya’s chest, “…yeah but Lexa and Clarke…” She popped back up, eyeing Anya excitedly, “I mean what are we gonna do about it? They can’t seem to get their shit together.”

Anya pushed herself up on her elbow, waiting for Raven to look at her, “We are going to do nothing.” She shook her head at Raven’s protest, “No, they will figure it out on their own. Like we did.”

“Oh like we did?” Raven smirked and pressed a kiss to Anya’s chin, “for the record, your sister spilled the beans the other night, told me how you had a lot to say about me.” She chuckled as she watched the swath of red blossom across Anya’s copper skin, flushing up her neck and painting her cheekbones.

“God…you are so beautiful.” Her voice trembled slightly on the last word, and she forgot all about Clarke and Lexa when Anya wrapped her arms around her to hold Raven against her chest, before rolling on top of her. Some things could wait, and some couldn’t.

************************

“Right…so…yeah…I’m just going to…yup.” Clarke stood in her bathroom, hands fisted on the counter, glaring at her reflection in the mirror. It was Friday night. Again. Her refrigerator was overflowing with pizza, and Lexa was on her way, but she was still no closer to managing to ask Lexa out. Although some of the information she’d received from Raven had been especially enlightening. What were the odds that the she and Raven would be connected to Anya and Lexa. And Lexa was into girls. Thank the goddess.

“Right time to be bold. Love must be bold.” She shook her head, her brow scrunched. “Love? What the fuck, Griffin, get hold of yourself!”

“It’s not love,” she mumbled under her breath, but whatever it was, it felt new, fresh, like something was surging in her blood, fighting to get out, to be born. She groaned. “Since when did you become such a romantic?”

She stood up and smoothed her hands down her shirt. Not a single wrinkle. Good. She turned this way and that…the jeans hugged her ass in ways that…well, in ways she hoped would get Lexa’s attention. And her hair was up, tied in a messy knot that Raven had assured her was sexy. Her exact words being, “If I didn’t have Anya, I’d bang ya, Clarkey.” She shook her head and smiled a little.

She left the bathroom, making sure to flick off the light and close the door, to hide her makeup and clothes rampage that had somehow begun and ended in the bathroom. In the end, she’d decided on soft mascara, light eyeshadow, and coral lipstick. It was enough.

She had a plan this time. She’d ordered her usual pizza, pizza she wasn’t ever going to eat… “Damn. I really need to clean out the fridge and throw out all that pizza.” She wrinkled at the thought of how some of it had probably gone bad at this point. But she would worry about it tomorrow.

She checked her watch, Lexa should be arriving any minute. It was the end of her shift this time. Clarke had made sure to time it so that her order would be the last of the night. She’d even managed to bribe Bellamy with tickets to a hockey game, to clock Lexa out after she made her delivery, so Lexa wouldn’t have to rush back.

She wiped her hands on her pants, wishing Lexa would just hurry up and arrive, and yet at the same time almost dreading it. “Be brave. She’s just a girl. A girl with a beautiful smile. A smart, beautiful girl that you really want to kiss.” She groaned again, pressing her hands to her hot face. She really needed to not say something inappropriate this time.

She leaned against the wall, near the door, too nervous to sit in the living room. And she waited.

************************

Lexa turned off the ignition and sat for a moment, tapping the steering wheel with long fingers. She’d turned off the radio on the way to Clarke’s, it was too distracting, but then the silence was too oppressive, and she turned it back on again. Only to turn it off again, and so it had gone the few miles to Clarke’s house. She was sure it sounded like her car was having some sort of musical tantrum.

She smiled a little and glanced over at the pizza on the seat next to her. She’d been so disappointed to arrive at work and not see the slip of paper with Clarke’s name on it, and each time she’d returned to pick up more pizzas, she’d anxiously looked to Harper, who shook her head each time. The call to 35 Sky Lane hadn’t arrived, until twenty minutes before closing.

She’d been shocked by the relief that had swept through her body, and her fingers had shaken slightly as they’d closed gently around the slip of paper. She’d stared at it long enough that Harper had nudged her shoulder, smirking a little at her, as she blushed and carefully folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket. And she’d been even more surprised when Bellamy had told her that Clarke had pre-paid and left her the usual $8 tip, and she didn’t need to rush back. He would clock her out.

She adjusted her cap and pulled her keys out of the ignition. She’d dawdled long enough. She grabbed the pizza and walked the few steps up to the door. Except she never got the chance to knock. It was yanked open before her fist could descend.

“Oh. Um…hi.”

Clarke winced at the way Lexa had jerked back slightly. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you and just yank open the door. I mean I saw you, and so I…just…answered. You know what? That’s not important.” She pulled the door open, cursing silently at her rambling and the sound of her breath pulsing behind her tongue. She could barely catch her breath, her heart tripping a little too quickly in her chest.

Lexa nodded and smiled, charmed by the other girl’s rambling, the way her blue eyes sparkled, and the way her skin flushed slightly under the lights in the hallway. “No worries,” she murmured as she walked into the hall, her hip brushing against Clarke.

She stopped and waited for Clarke to close the door and move ahead of her, leading her into the kitchen. She stopped at the end of the hallway, not sure if she should proceed, until Clarke ducked back around and waved her in. “Please come in.”

Lexa nodded and stepped into the kitchen, still holding the pizza, unsure where she should set it. She glanced around, not wanting to be nosy, but too curious about Clarke to resist. The kitchen was big, with cherry cabinets and stainless-steel appliances. They looked new, like they weren’t used often. A beautiful granite island with three stools was in the middle of the kitchen, and it looked more used than the rest of the kitchen.

“Just set it on the island counter.” Clarke turned back to the cupboards, her hands fiddling with items on the smaller counter that ran under the cupboards. Now that she had Lexa in her kitchen she kind of didn’t know what to do. But she didn’t want her to leave, wasn’t ready to miss another opportunity.

“So…”

“I was wondering…”

They both chuckled and stopped, looking away before looking back at each other. Lexa waved her hand towards Clarke, “Please continue.” She propped her arms on the back of a stool, waiting patiently for Clarke to continue, using the time to let her gaze roam up and down Clarke, drinking her in. She didn’t like objectifying women, and while outward beauty wasn’t necessarily what drew her in first, there was no use trying to deny that the other girl was beautiful. And she had noticed the jeans, specifically what was in the jeans, and it had made her mouth water a little, when Clarke had turned and led her down the hallway.

“I was wondering if you were hungry? I mean…I know it’s been a long night, and you’re off now…and…” She shrugged a little, biting her lip, wishing she remembered how to be more eloquent.

“How did you know I’m off now?”

Well shit.

“I…um…uhhhh…” Her tongue felt thick in her mouth as she stuttered, her mind blanking on her. She gripped the back of the counter with both hands, trying frantically to make her mind and tongue coordinate into something that sounded like a reasonable explanation and not something like…well…stalking. Normally she was a lot calmer, perhaps even a little smooth, when it came to having a crush on someone, even the few crushes she’d had on girls. But this was different. Lexa was different, and she wasn’t even sure why yet. She just knew she was.

Lexa smiled, both worried and secretly charmed by the panic in Clarke’s blue eyes. “It’s ok. And yes, I am off, and yes. I am hungry.”

Clarke’s shoulders sagged, and her head dropped forward before she lifted it and nodded. “Great! Great. Well…” she looked around… “I have…um…oh pizza!” She turned back around and opened the nearest cupboard, relieved that it was the correct one. She’d forgotten where the plates were in her mild panic. She grabbed two and set them on the island, moving a few items away before opening the pizza box.

“I’m still curious though, how did you know?” Lexa rested her chin in her hand, staring at the flustered blonde.

“Well, I know what time it closes, so I assumed you didn’t have any more orders.”

“Really? Assumed? Because you seemed awfully sure of yourself when you mentioned I was off.” She couldn’t help but tease her. Normally it was she who was flustered and out of her depth, searching for words that hung out of reach, but tonight, after her chat with Anya, she had a new understanding about the girl in front of her.

Clarke groaned, knowing she’d been caught, but at least she was pretty sure that Lexa was just teasing her. She rolled her eyes, and shuffled her feet before sighing and looking up at Lexa, “I might have asked Bellamy when your last order normally was…” She bit her lip, not wanting to admit that she’d also bribed him with hockey tickets. Thankfully, Lexa just smiled and nodded.

“Ok,” Lexa nodded, deciding not to push it. She had a feeling there was more to the story, and she could always ask Bellamy. He was friends with Clarke, so he would have been the one most likely to tell her.

“Is it ok if I…” she gestured towards a stool, and when Clarke nodded, she pulled one out and sat down, taking her hat off and hanging it on the back of her stool. She looked up at the small gasp, surprised to see Clarke just staring at her, her mouth open slightly, eyes wide.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing…you know…just a goddess sitting at my counter,” mumbled Clarke as she dropped her gaze, her hands fiddling with the cardboard pizza box as she tried to open it, her fingers feeling too large and clumsy for the task.

Lexa smiled and reached out, covering Clarke’s hands with her own. She rubbed her thumb across Clarke’s knuckles, enjoying the warm feel of her skin. She slipped her fingers around Clarke’s hand, pressing them into her palm. She simply held her hand for a moment, before letting go and flipping open the pizza box.

She shrugged, “Sometimes the boxes stick.” They didn’t.

“I think you are the only one to ever order this pizza. You must really like it.” She leaned down and sniffed it, her eyes closing briefly. It smelled warm and spicy and her stomach growled. “It’s good.”

Clarke stopped, hand clutching napkins that she was passing to Lexa. She cocked her head and started at the other girl who still had her eyes closed. “Good? How do you know?”

“Oh.” Lexa jerked back and blushed. “Um…well…I was intrigued so I bought one. Murphy bitched about it the entire time, but he watched me while I ate it, and he was smiling.” She chuckled and took the napkins from Clarke.

Clarke nodded. She was familiar with Murphy’s particular brand of bitching, and while the two hadn’t always gotten along, she considered him a friend, and she knew how important it was to him to make good pizza, to feed his people, as he called them.

“It’s kind of amazing we never met before,” whispered Clarke as she set a piece of pizza on her plate and two on Lexa’s before handing it to her. She walked around the counter and slid onto the stool next to Lexa, smiling when their shoulders bumped.

Lexa grinned and took a bite, nodding her head happily when the hot cheese hit her tongue. “Mmmm hmmmmm.” She chewed and swallowed before looking at Clarke, “Sha. Weird. But I’m glad we finally met.” She peered at Clarke from under her eyelashes, hoping her thought would be reciprocated, and when Clarke agreed, she felt warmth spring to life in her belly.

Clarke took a bite of pizza, ignoring the way the flavors sat too heavily on her tongue. She would eat the entire pizza, box and all if it meant Lexa would just stay a little longer. She took another small bite before setting it down, smiling when she realized that Lexa had already finished her first slice and was starting on her second. She grabbed the box and another slice, placing it on Lexa’s plate.

She turned back to her own pizza, staring at it for a moment before picking it up and taking another bite. She chewed it slowly and carefully starting down at her plate trying to figure out how exactly to ask Lexa out on a date. She’d never asked anyone out on a date before, boys were all too eager to ask her out. She watched Lexa out of the corner of her eye and stared a little too hard at the way Lexa licked the little bit of sauce off her lips.

“Clarke? Clarke?”

“Huh? Oh..sorry!” She dropped the pizza on her plate, flushing under Lexa’s warm gaze. “Sorry, got a little lost in thought.”

“Could I have something to drink? Just some water?”

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Yes of course!” She started to push her stool back but stopped when Lexa placed her hand on her shoulder.

“No, I got it. If you just point me to where the cups are?”

“Oh they are in the cupboard to the left of the sink, but I have bottled water in the refrigerator.”

She propped her chin in her hand, watching as Lexa slid off the stool and walked the few steps to the refrigerator, and it was only when Lexa was already opening the door that Clarke realized her mistake.

“No! Wait!” But it was too late, Lexa had already opened the refrigerator to see the damning evidence.

“Wow…that’s a lot of pizza.” Lexa turned to look at Clarke over her shoulder, her concern immediately ratcheting up a notch when Clarke simply groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

“Clarke? What’s wrong?”

Clarke peeked between her fingers at Lexa and laughed. “Oh god. Ok…so here’s the thing…” She got up and made her way to Lexa, standing next to her in front of the open refrigerator. She grabbed two bottles of water and nodded her head at the four pizza boxes. “Go ahead. You can look.”

Lexa nodded her head slowly, unsure if she really wanted to. What if it wasn’t pizza in the boxes.

“Don’t worry, it’s just pizza.” Clarke shook her head and laughed again. “It’s a long story.”

Lexa opened the first box, an entire pizza, untouched. Same pizza that she always delivered. A week old probably. Second box had two slices missing, and blue fuzz growing on it. Same pizza, probably two weeks old. She didn’t bother to open the others, just shut the door and sat back down at her stool.

She took the water Clarke gave her and drank, her mind busily making sense of what she’d seen, and soon a small smiled twitched at the corners of her mouth. But first…she needed confirmation. She set her water down and swiveled so she was facing Clarke. “Long story, huh?”

Clarke wrinkled her nose and nodded her head, turning her stool so she faced Lexa. Their knees bumped against each other, and it made her smile.

“So…yeah…I don’t really like pizza.”

“Really? But that’s a lot of pizza in your ‘fridge.”

“Yeah, well I don’t like pizza…but I like the pizza delivery girl,” muttered Clarke as she looked down at her hands for a moment before looking up at Lexa.

Lexa smiled, the warmth in her belly growing. “So you like the delivery girl, eh? Well, this stop is the delivery girl’s favorite, and she looks forward to it every Friday night.” She chewed on her lower lip, smiling at the way Clarke grinned back at her.

“But…if you don’t like pizza, why did you order it the first night?”

“Ah.” Clarke leaned back in her stool, her fingers digging into her knees a little. “That’s a long story, a painful one actually, which I would prefer not to tell right now.” She looked up, hoping Lexa wouldn’t be offended, but only saw kindness.

“That’s ok, you don’t have to tell me.”

Clarke reached out, brushing her fingers against Lexa’s, tangling them together. “I want to, but it’s a sad story, and right now is not a sad moment. It’s a happy one. At least for me.”

“Me too.”

Lexa leaned forward, brushing her nose against the soft skin of Clarke’s cheek, before turning her head slightly to press her lips gently against her cheek. She didn’t move for a moment, enjoying the first touch, before lightly brushing her lips along Clarke’s jawline and up to the corner of her mouth. She pressed her lips there a little more firmly, her lips breaking into a smile when arms wrapped around her shoulders.

It surprised Clarke at first, the soft whisper of Lexa’s lips against her cheek, and by the time Lexa’s lips kissed the corner of her mouth, she was melting into Lexa, giddiness humming along her nerves as she wrapped her arms around Lexa’s shoulders. And when Lexa finally pressed her mouth against Clarke’s, Clarke was already inviting her inside, coaxing her to take everything she offered.

It was gentle at first, each careful touch hesitant as their hands found their way to waists, and tongues slipped against each other, until finally Clarke mumbled something as she bumped her knee against Lexa’s for the umpteenth time.

“What?” Lexa reluctantly pulled back, her lips tingling and slightly swollen. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just our knees have more contact than we do.”

Lexa laughed, her hands resting on top of Clarke’s thighs. She itched to touch Clarke, map her body with her fingers and tongue, but too afraid to rush headlong into something that could burn her and turn her to ash. It was awkward though, both leaning too far forward on their stools, knees hitting each other, and blocking them from moving closer.

Clarke grinned and wrapped her hands around Lexa’s hips, before sliding her hands to just under the small of her back. “Trust me?” She murmured as she pressed her mouth to Lexa’s, swiping her tongue across her lips, and when she felt Lexa nod, she pulled and slid her hands under Lexa’s bottom, pulling her up and into her lap.

She laughed when Lexa squealed and wrapped both arms around her waist and buried her face in the brunette’s neck. “You feel good like this.”

Lexa looked down into glistening blue eyes and nodded, cupping the face in front of her. “You’re beautiful, and I like you. Even if you don’t like pizza.” She laughed at the way Clarke rolled her eyes, and she couldn’t resist the upward turn of the blonde’s mouth.

She sighed into the kiss, flicking her tongue against Clarke’s lips, teasing her until she opened her mouth enough for her to slip her tongue inside. She groaned at the feel of hands finding their way under her sweatshirt, and she shivered when they skated across her belly.

“You feel good,” murmured Clarke as she traced the faint swell of Lexa’s belly. She wondered what it looked like, what it would taste like, what Lexa would taste like on her tongue, and she ached to find out. But Lexa was doing something with her tongue that sent shivers down her spine, and she could barely think.

Lexa pulled back, the need to breathe becoming to great. She squirmed slightly in Clarke’s lap, aware of the fact that her panties that were once dry, were no longer. It had been too long since she’d made out with another girl, since she’d sat in another girl’s lap. Not that she had ever done that before. But she liked it. It felt good. Safe and warm and exciting.

She pressed her lips against Clarke’s forehead, enjoying the way Clarke leaned into her. She ran her fingers through her hair, smiling at the way Clarke groaned and snuggled into her arms. “So you basically kept ordering pizza ‘cuz you have a thing for the delivery girl?”

Clarke groaned and laughed as she pulled her face from it’s warm nest. “Yes.” She laughed and shrugged. “But it worked!”

Lexa nodded, cupping Clarke’s face and leaning down and pressing her forehead against Clarke’s. “So if you don’t like pizza, what do you like? You know…so if the delivery girl wanted to ask you out on a date?”

“You. I like you.”

“Good answer.” Lexa pressed her mouth against Clarke’s again, humming at the taste of her, forgetting about everything else as Clarke wrapped her arms around her. Later. She would ask her for that date later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? I know I rarely write modern AU. It isn't really my forte, nor does it usually inspire me, but this did.


End file.
